The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will meet Tuesday in a televised debate that political experts say could be one of the few events where voters get a chance to truly assess the leaders in what has been a largely scripted online election campaign. New Democrat Leader John Horgan called a snap election last month during the global COVID-19 pandemic and the debate comes with less than two weeks remaining before election day on Oct. 24. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson, Green Leader Sonia Furstenau and Horgan will appear live on television, radio and online for the 90-minute deba

The federal Conservatives want MPs to create an anti-corruption committee to investigate the WE Charity issue. Tory ethics critic Michael Barrett says the new forum would press for answers to lingering questions about the controversy. In the meantime, the Conservatives plan to press the House of Commons ethics and finance committees this week to resume looking at the matter. They say the proposed new anti-corruption committee could soon take over the probe of the Liberal government's choice of WE Charity to administer the the multimillion-dollar Canada Student Service Grant program. Oppositio

The federal government says technical difficulties that prevented some Canadians from applying for new financial supports have been solved. The Canada Revenue Agency reported the issues hours after applications for the benefits opened today. The new Canada Recovery Benefit a replacement for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit promises 500-dollars per week. The federal government also anticipates about 700-thousand Canadians will apply for the new caregiver benefit, which offers added support for parents and others who are forced to miss work to care for a dependent due to COVID-19.

Facebook is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust. The move is the latest attempt by the company to take action against conspiracy theories and misinformation.The company says people searching for information about the Nazi genocide will be directed to authoritative sources. Holocaust survivors around the world had lent their voices to a campaign targeting C-E-O Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to take action to remove Holocaust denial posts from the site.

The B.C. New Democrats have announced a renter's rebate as the latest plank of their election platform as parties prepare for the first televised debate of the provincial campaign. NDP Leader John Horgan says his party's plan also includes making a cap on rent increases permanent. Under the rebate plan, households that earn up to $80,000 a year will be entitled to $400 a year. Horgan also reiterated his party's support of freezing rents until the end of 2021. He accused the B.C. Liberals of giving tax breaks to the rich and says the NDP benefit would help those who need it most. The leaders o

BC is reporting 119 new cases of COVID-19 but no new deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are 1,406 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. 68 of those patients are being treated in hospital, including 19 in intensive care. In a statement, Dr. Henry continues to urge people to do all they can to ensure they have safe celebrations over the Thanksgiving long weekend. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Royal Roads University in Victoria. The university says it will bestow the honour on what it describes as

Ontario is imposing new restrictions in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa to help slow the spread of COVID-19. They will prohibit indoor dining at restaurants and bars, and close gyms, movie theatres and casinos. The measures will go into effect tomorrow and will be in place for at least 28 days. The government is also asking people in those areas to leave their homes only for essential purposes. The new restrictions come as Ontario marked a record 939 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, most of them in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa. The government says if current trends continue, the province c

Fishermen, kayakers and hikers are being warned of potential fluctuations in the water level of the Capilano River after a spillway gate on a dam was taken out of service. Metro Vancouver says the gate at the Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver will remain out of service throughout the winter. Without the gate being in operation, water levels could naturally be affected on the Capilano River from an upstream lake that serves as the main reservoir for the Lower Mainland. A statement from Metro Vancouver, which delivers services to municipalities in the Lower Mainland, says electronic signs have b

The BC Green party has released its plan to rebuild the provincial economy after COVID-19 with a focus on climate action. Campaigning in Nanaimo, Leader Sonia Furstenau says the Green promise goes even further than the existing Clean BC plan, which she says never would have happened under the minority NDP government if not for her party. Furstenau says a Green government would initiate a just transition program for workers to move to guaranteed jobs in the clean economy. The plan would establish a 1 billion dollar strategic investment fund to support business innovation, especially initiative